Throw-out looper mechanism for sewing machines



June 27, 1933. CLAYTON 1,915,923

THROW-OUT LOOPER MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 27, 1931 Fig. 1 is a front side elevation of a 4.

' certain of the operative Patented June '27, 1933 UNi'rED STATES ANDREW 2B.- CLAYTON, or nion, NEW JERSEY; AssieNon T0 THE ;S1'1\TGEJR1 Mann: rncrunnve COMPANY, or ELIZABETH, NEW-JERSEY, A 'conrona'rron or NEW JERSEY THROW-OUT LOOPER MECHANISM Eon snwme MACHINES Application filed May 27 1931 Serial No. 540,291

This invention relates to looper mechanism for sewing machines of the two-thread chainstitch type and has, foran object to provlde simplified and improved manually operated means for shifting the looper from its normal operative position to a retractedv position looper mechanism of such a nature that neither the looper nor any of the parts of its driving mechanism will clash with the needle or other part of the'machine, should the looper throw-out m-eansbe operated when the main-shaft is-stopped in any position or, indeed, if it is not even stopped, the looper-driving shaft be turned overafter the looper-is retracted to threading position. This provision avoids the necessity for a locking device to prevent manual operation of the p looper throw-out means except when the looper-driving shaft and-parts connected thereto are in safe-positions.

The invention also aims to provide a mechanism for retracting the looper to threadingposition by a bodily movement of the looper-carrier as distinguished from a pivotal movement of the looper-carrier; the looper in its threading position, being strictly parallel to its operative position from which it was shifted and to WlllCh it is returned after the looper has been threaded. Further objects of the invention will appear as thedesc'ription proceeds.

The invention comprises the devices, combinations and relative arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. t

The features ofthe invention and the advantages attaine'd' thereby. will be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment. of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which looper mechanism embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a left end elevation of the mechanism. Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective view. of

parts of the mechanism and Fig. 4 is a face view of a knob on the front side of the machine by which the or should PATENroi-FicE looper throw-out mechanism is manually operated.

1 represents the machine bed in which is journaled the rotary looper-driving shaft-2v having'the inclined crank 3 which is embraced by the follower-sleeve 4.- shorter than the in clined crank 3 soa s to be capable ofmovement lengthwiseof the axis of saidinclined crank. a

- The usual thread-carrying loopers 14 having at their tip-ends'the thread-eyes 15 and at their heels the thread-apertures 15, are mounted on the section 9 of a three part looper-carrier. The'other parts of the loopercarrier comprise the sleeve 7 having at right angles to it a threaded stem 8 passing through a hole in the section 9 and having screwed tightly onto it the shaft or bearingin 8. The section 9 of the looper-carrier is ad uStable relative to'the sections 7, 8, about the screw-threaded'stem 8 as an axis. To this end the section 9 has a downwardly extendingarm 10 formed with wings 11 carrying opposed set-screws 12 which impinge upon opposite sides of a rib 13 integral With the sleeve 7 By loosening one of the setscrews 12 and tightening the other, a rotary ad ust1nent of-the looper-carrier section 9 about the axis of the stem'8 and shaft 8 may be effected.

The looper-carrier as a whole, including the rigidly related sections 7, 8 and 9, has a rocking bearing'engagement with the follower-sleeve 4 on an axis normal to the 'incllned crank 3 and sleeve 4:. This rocking bearing engagement is"constituted by the sleeve 7 and the pin 5 which la'tter'is rigid wlth and normal to the follower-sleeve 1 and 1s embraced by the sleeve 7 The machine is provided with afeeding mechanism including the usual four-motion feed-dog 16 cooperating with the presserfoot 17 to feed the work in a direction trans yersely of the looper-driving shaftiQ and of 25 into which projects the spring-pressed in the wrong position.

pin 26 mounted in the frame-member 22. The spring-pressed pin 26 limits the turning movement of the knob 24 and bearing sleeve 21 to one-half of a complete revolution and the eccentric aperture 20 in the sleeve 21 is so arranged relative to the knob 24 that it occupies extreme left and right hand positions in the extreme positions to which the knob 24 may be turned. There is a slight depres: sion 27 in the bottom wall of the groove 25 at one end of the latter. This depression receives the rounded end 28 of the pin 26 when the knob 24 is turned to one of its extreme positions and yieldingly detains such knob in such positions; the looper-carrier 9 being at this time in its sewing position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The outer end of the eccentric aperture 20 is closed by the capscrew 21' having a flange 21" overlapping the recessed portion of the head of the knob 24, as shown in Fig. 4.

When it is desired to retract the loopers for threading, the knob 24 is rotated 180 and this movement bodily shifts the loopercarrier 9 and its bearing-pin 8 from full line position, Fig. 1, to dotted line position; the sleeve 4 sliding down the inclined crank 8 to dotted line position. During this movement, there is no movement of rotation imparted to the looper-carrier 9 about the axis of its bearing-pin 8. The motion is purely a bodily one in which the loopers and the looper-carrier are at all times parallel to the initial position from which they were shifted. This provision prevents downward tilting of the thread-apertures 15 in the heels of the loopers to unfavorable threadin angles and facilitates the threading of sue heel-apertures. In the dotted line position of the loopers 14 their thread-eyes 15 are sufiiciently retracted from the needles 19 and feed-dog 16 to permit of the easy threading thereof.

If the shaft 2 is rotated while the loopers are thrown out to their threading position there will be no destructive clashing of any of the moving parts of the mechanism. The moving parts of the machine will turn over as readily with the loopers in thrown-out position as in sewing position, and it is unnecessary to provide interlocking means between the looper-driving shaft and the knob 24 to prevent one being operated when the other is Further, it is unnecessary for the operator to take particular pains to rotate the shaft 2 to a certain safe position before the knob 24 is turned to throw out the loopers. Danger of breakage of delicate parts of the machine is thus eliminated and ease of operation is assured.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. The combination with a reciprocating needle, of a thread-carrying looper,-an oscillatory looper-carrier, a looper-driving shaft, and means for bodily shifting said loopercarrier lengthwise of the looper-shaft and lengthwise of the looper-blade to carry the looper away from the needle to an easy threading position.

2.v The combination with a reciprocating needle, of a thread-carrying looper, an oscillatory looper-carrier, a looper-driving shaft having an inclined crank, a follower: I sleeve embracing said crank and connected to oscillate-said looper-carrier, and means for bodily and simultaneously shifting said looper-carrier and said follower-sleeve lengthwise of said looper-shaft and of said inclined crank, respectively, to carry the looper from sewing position to a more readily accessible threading position.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with feeding mechanism, and a reciprocating needle, of a thread-carrying looper normal to the line of feed, a looper-carrier, a looperdriving shaft normal to the line of feed and having an inclined crank, a sleeve shorter than and embracing said inclined crank, a bearing engagement between said loopercarrier and said sleeve, and manually operated means for shifting the looper-carrier in a direction lengthwise of said looper-driving shaft to carry the looper to a position facilitating threading, thereof.

4. Looper-mechanism for sewing machines comprising a looper-driving shaft having an inclined crank, a follower-sleeve shorter than and embracing said inclined crank so as to be capable of movement lengthwise of the latter, a thread-carrying looper, a looper-carrier having a shaft disposed at right angles to said looper-driving shaft, said looper-carrier having a rocking bearing engagement with said followersleeve on an axis normal to said inclined crank and normal to said looper-carrier shaft, a frame in which the looper-driving shaft is journaled, a bushing rotatably mounted in said frameand having said looper-carrier shaft. journaled in it eccentrically of its axis of rotation, and a manually operated element for turning said bushing to shift the looper to a retracted position for easy threading.

5; In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating needle and work-feeding mechanism, of a looper-driving shaft disposed transversely of the lineof feed and izo having an inclined crank, a follower-sleeve shorter than and embracing said inclined crank, a thread-carrying looper having its loop-seizing and -sheddingmovements sub-v stantially normal to the line of feed, a looper-carrier with which said sleeve has a rocking bearing engagement on an axis normal to said inclined crank, said looper-oarrier being mounted to rock on a supporting the line of feed, and man shaft parallel to ually operated means for shifting the supporting shaft of the looper-carrier laterally of the line of feed to retract the looper-blade endwise of itself to an easy threading position.

6 In a sewing machine, a bed a looperdriving shaft ournaled in said bed and having an inclined crank,- a bearing-bushing carrier with its bladevin a plane normal to the looper-carrier' shaft, and a follower-sleeve shorter than and embracing said inclined crank and having an operative connection with said looper-carrier.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. 1

ANDREW B. CLAYTON. 

